Designer Nina McLemore is a weapon in the wardrobes of authoritative women. To those in the know, the label's tailored clothes stand out for their richly woven fabrics, strong jackets with signature stand-up collars and brilliant colors.
Exiting a television appearance, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and PBS NewsHour co-anchor Gwen Ifill stopped and had a laugh. They were wearing nearly identical blue jackets by Nina McLemore.
Ms. McLemore recalls an early job she had as a department store buyer. During one meeting at May Department Stores Co., she noticed the male executives sat at a large table while the mostly female buyers listened from the room's periphery. "I said, why am I at the back of the room and he's at the table?" she recalls. She decided she didn't appear authoritative. "How people look is crucial to how they are perceived," she says.
Though she is little known by the wider world, Ms. McLemore's clothing is well-known in the circles of powerful women. At least a quarter of female chief executives at Fortune 500 companies have appeared publicly in her clothes or shopped with the label.
If you are serious about being promoted...then take heed.
There is one problem that career women face that often goes unaddressed. It is what it means to be wearing the right clothes.
The faux pas many women make is that they believe their wardrobe is a reflection of who they are. They are attempting to project their distinctiveness and their individuality. And then there are those who want to be known for their style and creativity. They want to stand out from the crowd.
All these women, instead of sending the right message, they are signaling to those above that they are not a team player, that they are not ready for promotion.
The mistake is that they don't view the clothes they wear to work as their corporate uniform.
Sources: The Wall Street Journal, July 3, 2014 and "When Doing It All Won't Do: A Self-Coaching Guide for Career Women."
When Doing It All Won't Do: A Self-Coaching Guide for Career Women
Decoding the Executive Woman's Dress Code (FREE)
